'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQgQAAICAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABgUhBxIRIkEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMFEQACAgMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEABExEhMh/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDJvhbadg13cY6XG35K9Um/baJQp7hrM7gewIBcIF+chSaLxfIyPcld/eyxlf8Ae5PsezjGNeJhsSsmlLOdkDv05UrKLEfrl26o7+IJ5zP/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards this year, Bonnie Raitt won the Song of the Year award, while Lizzo won the Record of the Year award.
A nominated item can be considered both a song and a record, but the distinction between the two awards becomes somewhat blurry. To put it simply, the Song of the Year award is given for the composition and writing of the song and specifically acknowledges the songwriters of the song, while the Record of the Year award is given specifically for a particular recording or rendition of a song.
Bonnie Raitt became the first solo songwriter to win the Song of the Year award since 2008.
Record of the Year has been presented at the Grammy Awards since 1959
The Record of the Year award and the Song of the Year award have existed since the start of the annual award show back in 1959, and together with the Album of the Year award, they form the triangle of the most prestigious and coveted of all the awards in the event.
According to the Recording Academy Overview, the Record of the Year Award is given for the distinction and merit of a commercially released tape to "honor, artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to sales or chart position."
In the early years of 1959-1965, the Record of the Year award was only given to the artist. However, the award category slowly expanded over the years, first to include the producer of a record until 1998, then the mixer and recording engineers along with artists and producers from 1999 to 2012.
Since 2013, the Record of the Year nominations at the Grammy Awards have included of artists, producers, recording engineers, mixing engineers, and mastering engineers.
Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards
The Song of the Year award was created in 1959, alongside the Record of the Year, while the Grammys was still known as the Gramaphone Awards.
According to the Recording Academy, the criteria for the award for Song of the Year is that the song "must contain melody and lyrics and must be either a new song or a song first achieving prominence during the eligibility year. Songs containing prominent samples or interpolations are not eligible."
Over the years, the Song of the Year category at the Grammy Awards has expanded to include genre-specific awards, such as the award for Best Country Song(1965), the award for Best R&B song (1969), the award for Best Rap Song(2004), and the Songwriter of the Year: Non-Classical (2023).
The link between the Song of the Year and Record of the Year Awards
Both the Song of the Year and Record of the Year awards have a long history of garnering simultaneous nominations.
However, it is extremely difficult to win both in the same year, with only a few artists having that achievement.
Simon and Garfunkel won both awards in 1971 at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards for their single, Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
This was followed by Christopher Cross, who not only won Record of the Year and Song of the Year Awards but also Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Arrangement at the 1981 Grammy Awards. This record was only matched in 2022, when Billie Eilish similarly won all five awards.
